Ghana is facing growing security challenges stemming from an alarming rise in chieftaincy, land, and ethnic disputes across the country, according to National Security Coordinator, Commissioner of Police Abdul-Razak Osman.
Speaking at a high-level engagement with members of the National House of Chiefs on Friday (1 August), COP Osman revealed that more than 503 such disputes have been recorded nationwide, with 130 cases posing existential threats to both community and national security.
“Reported cases are well over 503 chieftaincy, ethnic and land-related disputes nationwide, with 130 of them posing existential threats to community security and for that matter national security, not forgetting the weight they put on the public purse,” he warned.
He cited the persistent conflict in Bawku as a particularly disturbing example.
“The current conflict of national concern is that of Bawku. Bawku, once a thriving commercial hub, has become a theater of violence, forcing the national security apparatus to impose curfew just to preserve life,” he noted.
Other threats
Beyond internal disputes, the Commissioner highlighted environmental degradation, water pollution, and the proliferation and misuse of firearms during festivals as additional security threats.
“Our rivers are currently polluted by people prospecting for gold…As we speak the Ghana Water Limited finds it difficult to treat water sources because of salination or the pollution of mercury or cyanide. This is why your power as traditional leaders become indispensable.
We have our chiefs moving with men wielding all sort of weapons. You cannot use them for celebration…And so, we are appealing to Nananom to issue a communique directing your subjects that the firing of musketry should follow the required protocols”, the security chief indicated as he cited recent incidents reported in recent times.
House of Chiefs
The President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, has called on national security to arrest politicians and chiefs involved in illegal mining, describing them as key culprits behind the country’s worsening galamsey crisis.
He alleged that individuals arrested for illegal mining often cite the involvement of political figures.
“We need to be involved in fighting the galamsey and the destruction of the water bodies. We all know that the galamseyers, when you arrest them, they tell you that they are from Jubilee House,” he said.
He further claimed that the issue has persisted across successive administrations.
“It started from the past government and now the current government. Let us come together and fight it. Those arrested should be sanctioned and make sure they don’t destroy our water bodies,” he added.
The meeting, held under the theme “Upholding the dignity of our traditions, the safety of our people and the peace of our country,” brought together traditional leaders and security stakeholders to explore sustainable solutions.
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